- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12650 by Susan Deacon on 30 March 2001, how many nursing vacancies there were in each health board area on (a) 31 March 1999, (b) 31 March 1998 and (c) 31 March 1997, specifying in each case the number which had been vacant for three or more months.
Answer
There are more than 500 fewer nurse vacancies now in Scotland than in 1997. The figures show that overall just 0.6% of Scotland's total NHS nursing posts are vacant for longer than three months. However, we recognise that there are long-term problems of recruitment and retention in key specialties which lead to a minority of these vacancies taking longer to fill. We have made targeted investment in an extra 210 specialist nurses to improve this situation.Qualified Nursing and Midwifery staff vacancies at 31 March by Health Board AreaWhole-time equivalent
| | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| | Total Vacancies | Vacancies for 3 months or more | Total Vacancies | Vacancies for 3 months or more | Total Vacancies | Vacancies for 3 months or more | Total Vacancies | Vacancies for 3 months or more |
| Scotland | 1648.5 | 475.1 | 1620.5 | 370.5 | 1280.9 | 449.0 | 1128.9 | 298.6 |
| Argyll & Clyde | 175.1 | 33.3 | 209.8 | 46.9 | 142.7 | 78.5 | 120.9 | 62.1 |
| Ayrshire & Arran | 31.4 | 9.1 | 82.1 | 38.9 | 80.6 | 4.6 | 45.5 | - |
| Borders | 5.7 | - | 23.1 | 5.0 | 13.7 | - | *2.0 | *7.5 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 23.1 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 19.6 | 1.0 | 2.8 | - |
| Fife | 22.2 | 4.2 | 82.9 | 0.7 | 72.7 | 15.6 | *76.5 | *2.3 |
| Forth Valley | 184.8 | 52.6 | 39.4 | 12.1 | 53.5 | 18.9 | 34.8 | - |
| Grampian | 148.0 | 33.9 | 238.3 | 20.8 | 178.6 | 54.9 | 163.2 | 44.1 |
| Greater Glasgow | 470.4 | 116.7 | 449.3 | 95.6 | *282.0 | *91.2 | 276.4 | 90.3 |
| Highland | 34.8 | 8.5 | 38.1 | 21.0 | 25.2 | 8.3 | 39.1 | 2.0 |
| Lanarkshire | 72.3 | 26.2 | 92.2 | 35.3 | 60.6 | 36.6 | 93.5 | 58.2 |
| Lothian | 376.6 | 133.3 | *257.9 | *77.9 | *246.9 | *120.1 | 191.4 | 11.2 |
| Orkney | 1.0 | - | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.9 | - | - |
| Shetland | 6.9 | 3.9 | 2.5 | - | 9.0 | 2.0 | 16.8 | 5.4 |
| Tayside | 89.1 | 41.2 | 57.2 | 13.3 | 58.2 | 15.4 | 9.9 | 4.5 |
| Western Isles | 7.2 | 4.0 | 20.3 | - | 25.2 | - | 16.0 | 11.0 |
* Indicates that the data for this health board is incomplete as at least one of its Trusts did not submit a return.Source: ISD(M)36, ISD ScotlandNotes:1. Data are at 30 April 1999. The change to April 1999 was due to Trust Reconfiguration.2. The data for 2000 is provisional.3. Excludes nurse teachers and nurses in training.4. Qualified consists of first and second (enrolled) level registered staff.5. ISD Scotland conducts an annual vacancy survey for nursing and midwifery vacancies. Vacancies under three months or more are more likely to be what is expected in normal turnover of staff and the process followed to advertise and recruit. They do not necessarily indicate any shortages of staff groups. The vacancy figures relate to vacant posts at 31 March, irrespective of when the vacancy arose.6. The Scotland total includes those nursing and midwifery vacancies in special health boards (the State Hospital and Common Services Agency (CSA)) but the WTE of nursing and midwifery vacancies is not shown explicitly for these employers because the question specifically asks for "health board areas".
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15595 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 June 2001, how many people with learning disabilities it estimates will be transferred from long-stay hospitals to the community in the current financial year and in each of the following two years and how many people with learning difficulties it estimates will be in long-stay hospitals at the end of financial year 2003-04.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15528 on 16 May 2001.
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15595 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 June 2001, whether it will detail the actual or estimated cost to each local authority of transferring patients from long-stay hospital accommodation to community care and the amount of Revenue Support Grant allocated or planned to be allocated to each local authority for this purpose for each year from 1999 to 2004.
Answer
The cost to local authorities of patients transferring to community care depends on the needs of the individuals concerned, the cost of services provided or purchased by the authority, whether a resource transfer is involved and, if so, how much, the individuals' contribution including pensions from DSS and other DSS benefits. The allocations of Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) to local authorities for social work in each of the years 1999-2000 to 2003-04 are £1,101 million, £1,144 million, £1,256 million, £1,317 million and £1,392 million respectively. Details of allocations of elements to individual authorities up to the current year are contained the GAE Green Book. Copies are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 12261).
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15595 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 June 2001, what methodology and calculations were used to determine the level at which change funds were set in order to make a significant impact over the first three years of implementing the recommendations of the disability services review and what its definition is of a significant impact.
Answer
The change funds of £36 million for learning disability services were obtained as an outcome of the Spending Review 2000. The increase of £16 million in the third year is a significant increase on local authority current spending of around £160 million a year, identified in The same as you?
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3323 by Susan Deacon on 18 January 2000, how much of the #4.2 million made available for ending mixed sex hospital wards has been spent in each health board to date.
Answer
Allocations totalling £4,787,880 have been made to NHS Trusts, the State Hospital and Island health boards to eliminate mixed sex hospital wards. This sum includes almost £600,000 from the NHSScotland capital pool in addition to the £4.2 million previously announced. As at 31 March 2001, £2.525 million of the total funding had been utilised. The remaining £2.263 million will be invested this financial year. The allocations and phasing by health board are detailed in the table:
| Health Board | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | Total |
£000 |
| Argyll & Clyde | 194.00 | 600.00 | 794.00 |
| Ayrshire & Arran | 24.80 | | 24.80 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 60.00 | | 60.00 |
| Fife | 161.00 | 242.00 | 403.00 |
| Forth Valley Acute | 65.00 | | 65.00 |
| Grampian | 569.00 | 465.00 | 1,034.00 |
| Greater Glasgow PCT | 509.98 | 376.00 | 885.98 |
| Highland | 40.00 | | 40.00 |
| Lanarkshire | 120.00 | | 120.00 |
| Lomond & Argyll PCT | 66.00 | 15.00 | 81.00 |
| Lothian | 0.00 | 290.00 | 290.00 |
| Orkney HB | 129.80 | | 129.80 |
| State Hospital | 100.00 | | 100.00 |
| Tayside PCT | 360.00 | 275.00 | 635.00 |
| Western Isles HB | 125.30 | | 125.30 |
| Total | 2,524.88 | 2,263.00 | 4,787.88 |
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13520 by Susan Deacon on 12 March 2001, how many hospital wards are (a) mixed sex and (b) single sex, in each health board area.
Answer
One third of NHS bodies have achieved full compliance with guidance on single sex accommodation and the remainder have plans to do so. As compliant wards can contain separate accommodation for both sexes, the information requested is not available.
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14328 by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 April 2001, what criteria it used to determine the amount of change funding that would be made available to local authorities to help them implement the recommendations of The Same As You? a review of services for people with learning disabilities and how many transfers of people with learning disabilities from long-stay hospitals to the community this funding will cover in each of the next three years.
Answer
Change funds were set at a level which would make a significant impact over the first three years of a 10-year implementation programme. These funds are only one of the resources available to local authorities to implement the recommendations of the Learning Disability Review. The additional funds are intended to enable better use of existing resources and are not specifically intended as a resource for people coming out of long-stay hospitals, although they may contribute. Authorities were provided with a significant uplift in the Grant Aided Expenditure settlement, amounting to £30 million in each year from 2001-02 to 2003-04 to cover, amongst other things, that element.
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 23 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14855 by Angus MacKay on 26 April 2001, whether population density per hectare was the only criterion used to determine in which local authorities small businesses would be eligible for 95% of the cost of funding hardship relief related to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Answer
It was decided that the support would be most effective if targeted at rural local authority areas where the viability of businesses was threatened as a direct result of the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease, and population density per hectare was the measure used to define rural areas for this purpose. These local authorities include all infected areas. 95% of the cost of the relief to small businesses in these areas is funded by the Scottish Executive, with local authorities making up the remaining 5% of the cost. Large businesses and those in all other areas are still eligible to apply for relief, 75% of which will be funded by the Scottish Executive and 25% by local authorities.
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 17 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15122 by Susan Deacon on 26 April 2001, why the information specified on people requiring prescription of beta interferon is not available centrally and whether it plans to hold this information centrally.
Answer
There are no plans to do so. Only certain patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are likely to benefit from the use of beta interferon and patients' eligibility for this treatment depends on the clinical judgement of the clinicians concerned. Clinical decisions regarding the treatment of individual patients are not available centrally.
- Asked by: Tricia Marwick, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a copy of the guidance on the preparation of Partnership in Practice agreements in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
This issued as Circular CCD 3/2001 Implementing "The Same As You?": Partnership In Practice Agreements (Pips) And Change Funds, which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 12320).
